Figure with balloon inflating means



Jan. 8, 1957 W. c. BAUMGARDNER 2,776,530

FIGURE WITH BALLOON INFLATING MEANS Jan. 8, 1957 v w. c. BAUMGARDNl-:R2,776,530

FIGURE WITH BALLOON INFLATING MEANS Filed March 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet2 ZZZ IN V EN TOR. alu/.MM 6'. qa/#764mm BY ffl MM f g 2m ,4me/144%;

United States Patent Olice 2,776,530 FIGURE WITH BALLOON INFLATING MEANSWilliam C. Baumgardner, Bayside, N. Y., assignor to Punch and Judy,Savannah, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application March 18, 1954,Serial No. 417,207 6 Claims. (Cl. 53-268) My present invention relatesto pumping apparatus and more particularly to a pump adapted to be usedas a toy for blowing up balloons and other small devices. My inventionis also directed to a particular arrangement and mounting of the pumpsin a decorative platform or housing wherein at least one portion of thedecorative housing constitutes a part of the pump itself and where thehousing or support is integrated with the pump in such manner that aunitary, readily utilizable structure is achieved.

My invention contemplates arranging a housing in the shape, forinstance, of a head of a clown wherein the decorative ornament at thepeak of the cap of the clown will constitute the handle of the pump andWhere a portion of the clowns mouth is modified to form a nozzle for thepump.

My invention also contemplates a modification of the pump nozzle so thata simplilied means is provided for attaching a balloon to the nozzle ina manner so that it will not be blown off when the balloon is pumpedwith air, the arrangement being such that even a small child may operateit.

The object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of a novel pumpapparatus particularly adapted for use as a toy or in connection withtoys and so arranged that the platform or housing in which the same iscontained is modified so that design elements of the platform or housingconstitute operative portions of the pump.

The foregoing and many other objects of my invention will becomeapparent in the following description and drawings, in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of one form which my invention may take.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 2a is a fragmentary view corresponding to the upper portion ofFigure 2 showing a slight modilication of the structure of Figure 2.

Figure 3 is a top plan view partly in cross-section taken from line`3-3of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a View in perspective with the ornamental cover removed ofthe support elements of my novel dev1ce.

Figure 5 is a side elevation `of a modified form of my invention showinga full enclosure for the pump apparatus of Figures l to 4.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 5 lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a side elevation partly in cross-section of another modifiedform of the device of Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the initialoperation of a sealing means for the balloon which is pumped up by theapparatus of Figures 1 to 7.

Figure 9 is a View corresponding to that of Figure 8 showing acompletion of the operation there shown.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, my novel device comprises base 10 dado cuttransversely at 11 to provide a support for the back panel 12. Ametallic support member 13 is provided having a bottom section 14secured in any suitable manner as by the screw 15 to the base 1li, avertical section 16 extending parallel to the back panel 12, the saidvertical section 16 having a resilient bent upwardly extending section17.

A portion of the vertical section 16 of the metal sup- 2,77 6,530Patented Jan. 8, 1957 port member -14 is secured in any suitable manneras by the rivet 20 to the back panel 12. Vertical support section 16 inthe region of the rivet 2l) is also provided with laterally extendingclamp members 21 22 which may be integral with section 16 or may beseparately formed as a single continuous clamp and integrated with thesection 16 and the back panel 12 by the securement member or rivet 2i).

Clamp sections 21 or 22 are curved in order to secure the pump cylinder23 between them. The clamp sections 21 and 22 are re-entrantly bent toform the sections 24 and 25 extending parallel to each other. Sections24 and 25 are provided with registering openings through which the nutand bolt assembly 26 may be passed, rotation of the bolt in the nuttightening the clamp members 21 and 22 on the pump cylinder 23.

The section 17 of the vertical support above the rivet 20 and thesection of the vertical support 16 below the rivet 20 bear against thepump cylinder 23 as shown, particularly in Figure 2 in order to positionthe pump cylinder 23 accurately.

The pump cylinder is provided with a piston rod 30 and a knob 31 at theend of the piston rod 30 for operating the pump in a manner well-knownin the art. The nozzle 32 of pump cylinder 23 is connected by coupling33 which may be flexible to the external nozzle 35. External nozzle 35is carried by flange 36 of the support section 37 of the metal supportmember 13.

Nozzle 35 comprises a shaped member which will hereinafter be more fullydescribed, having an axial bore 4u which may be formed in the materialor may be an inserted tube extending at 40a towards the back of thenozzle. Tube 40a extends through an appropriate opening in flange 36 andthe nozzle 35 and the tube 40a are secured to flange 36 in any suitablemanner as by the clamp or lock washer 41 or it may be a tight fit on thenozzle element.

The end 42 of the coupling 33 is coupled in any suitable manner tonozzle tube 40a.

lt will thus be obvious that raising and lowering pump handle 31 willdrive air through the nozzle opening 4t) of nozzle 35. The entire systemshown in Figure 4 is en closed and completed by the decorative clownligure 50 ot' Figures l and 2, the said clown ligure 50 being formed ofsuitable material shaped to simulate such ligure and appropriatelydecorated.

The edges of the cover member 5i! which comprises the clown ligure aresecured to the edges of back panel 12 in any suitable manner as by therivets 52. Other means of securement may, of course, be provided and ifdesired, a back piece may be fitted on the other side of back snpportpanel 12 in order to provide a fully rounded figure.

lt will be seen that the pump handle 31 thus forms the knob, tassel orpom-pom at the top of the clowns hat 53 while the nozzle 35 extendsthrough an opening 54 of the ligure for cover section 59 simulating themouth of the gure.

Clamp portions 24 and 25 of the clamp members are provided with lateralextensions 6i? and 61 having button like extensions 62 and 63 forwardlythereof, the said button like extension being formed in any suitablemanner as, for example, by rivets; the said extensions 62 and 63 alsoappear through the mouth opening 54.

The nozzle 35 is shaped with a plurality of ridges 65, 66, 67, as shown,providing friction elements for receiving and supporting the mouth of atoy balloon. In order to prevent the balloon from being blown oli whileit is pumped up, an elastic member 70 is provided having loops 71 and72. Loop 71 of the elastic member 70 is mounted over the extension 62and may, if desired, be permanently secured thereto. After the balloonis placed over the nozzle 35, the elastic member 70 with loop 71 thereofsecured to extension 62 is stretched, wound once or twice around theportion of the balloon on nozzle 35 and the other loop 72 is secured toextension 63. This serves to secure the balloon in position on thenozzle so that it will not be blown off while the balloonis pumped up.By this means, a full 360 clamp is provlded for' the balloon which isextremely simple in construction and so 'simple in operation that achild may 'utilize the same.

'Thus, in the operation of my novel device, a child places the mouth ofthe balloon as far up on nozzle 35 as he can. He winds the elasticmember' 7) which is already attached by loop 71 to extension 62 once ortwice around the portion of the balloon mounted on nozzle 3S and securesthe loop 72 on extension 63. He then moves the handle 31 up and down topump up the balloon. After the balloon is pumped up, it, of course,becomes necessary to remove the same without losing air.

For this method, l provide the novel method shown in Figures 8 and 9.The balloon, while it is mounted on the nozzle 35 in blown up condition,is rotated to wind up as much slack as possible. A small card 80, asshown in Figure 8, provided with notches 81, 82, 83, 84, is then placedover the twisted section with the portion of thc twist section adjacentto the body of the balloon caught in notch 82. The balloon may then bepulled off the nozzle 35 without losing appreciable air. immediatelyafter the mouth 90 of the balloon is twisted up through notch 84 ofcar-d 80 and down into notch 83. This serves to seal the balloon.

In Figures l and 2, the clown figure 50 and back panel 12 are shown sothat a complete opening 92 at the top appears. The clown gure covermember 50 may be curved and shaped as shown in Figure 2a at 59a to fullyenclose the top with an opening 94 provided for the piston rod 30.

In Figures and 6, l have shown a modied form of my novel device in whichthe same pump cylinder 23, piston rod 30, pump handle 31, nozzle 32,flexible coupling 33 and nozzle 35a may be used. In this modification,however, the front section 150 and the back section 112 are moldedplastic units which Imay be molded in separate halves and cementedtogether along the line indicated by seam G. Top and bottom supportsections 116 and 114 may be provided for the pump cylinder 23, the saidsupport sections being recessed to receive the piston rod and nozzle 32;the said sections 116 and 114 may be molded integral with the rear half112.

The front half 150 may have positioning anges 124 and 125 moldedintegrally therewith, the inner ends thereof being provided with curvedrecesses to position the pump cylinder 23. Thus, when the two edges `aremolded, the pump cylinder 23 may be placed in position between ilanges114 and 116, the housing 33 may be connected to the inner extension h ofnozzle 35a and then the two sections 112 and 150 may be placed togetherand cemented.

Nozzle 35a may be molded integrally with the front section 150 andcylindrical bore 40h may be drilled through. In this way, a fullyenclosed unit is provided. The extensions or buttons 162 may be providedon either side of the nozzle 35a either molded with the front coversection 150 or mounted on the support on the interior thereof tofunction in a manner previously described for extensions 62 and 63.

ln Figure 7 l have shown an extremely simple variation of my device inwhich the base 210 has secured thereto in any suitable manner as by theangle member 211 and other support means if required, the vertical panel212. The front of the vertical panel 212 may be 7 appropriatelydecorated as shown in Figure 1 with the buttons 262 mounted thereon andthe nozzle 235 secured into it in any suitable manner.

The pump cylinder 23 may be secured to the said panel 212 by a circularclamp 222 attached to the panel 212 by rivets 220. The same generalappearance as thatv shown in Figmre l will then result but the devicewill be extremely simple in construction and appearance.

ln the foregoing, I have described my invention solely in connectionwith illustrated embodiments thereof, ranging from an extremelyinexpensive yet practical embodiment to an embodiment comprising acomplete enclosure for the operative members. Since variations andmodiiications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled inthe art, I prefer to be bound not by the specific disclosure herein, butonly by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A balloon pump comprising a figure; a pump mechanism carried by saidfigure; the pump mechanism including a pump handle; the pump handleregistering with said iigure and forming a visual part thereof; a nozzlecarried by said gure; said pump mechanism being connected to saidnozzle; said nozzle having a substantially conical exterior with aseries of annular stepped recesses, and an elastic member securable onsaid gure and windable about said nozzle after a balloon is placed onsaid nozzle.

2. A balloon pump comprising a ligure; a pump mechanism carried by saidfigure; the pump mechanism including a pump handle; the pump handleregistering with said iigure and forming a visual part thereof; a nozzlecarried by said gure; said pump mechanism being connected to saidnozzle; said nozzle having a substantially conical exterior with aseries of annular stepped recesses, and an elastic member securable onsaid iigure and windable about said nozzle after a balloon is placed onsaid nozzle, and means for closing said balloon While the same is onsaid nozzle.

3. A balloon pump comprising a figure; a pump mechanism carried by saidfigure; the pump mechanism including a pump handle; the pump handleregistering with said iigure and forming a visual part thereof; a nozzlecarried by said figure; said pump mechanism being connected to saidnozzle; said nozzle having a substantially conical exterior with aseries of annular stepped recesses, and an elastic member securable onsaid ligure and windable about said nozzle after /a balloon is placed onsaid nozzle, and means for closing said balloon while the same is onsaid nozzle, said last-mentioned means comprising a notched card, anotch of said card being fttable over the neck of said balloon.

4. A balloon pump comprising a ligure; a pump mechanism carried by saidfigure; a nozzle carried by said ligure; said pump mechanism beingconnected to said nozzle; said nozzle having a substantially conicalexterior with a series of annular stepped recesses, and an elasticmember securable on said gure and windable about said nozzle after aballoon is placed on said nozzle.

5. A balloon pump comprising a gure of a clown, a pump mechanism carriedby said gure; the pump mechanism including a pump handle; the clownfigure including a hat and a decorative member on the hat; the saiddecorative member forming a part of the pump handle.

6. A balloon pump comprising a gure of a clown, a pump mechanism carriedby said ligure; the pump mechanism including a pump handle; the clownfigure including a hat and a decorative member on the hat; the saiddecorative member forming a part of the pump handle, and a nozzlepositioned at the mouth of said clown gure; said pump mechanism beingconnected to said nozzle; said nozzle having a substantially conicalexterior with a series of annular stepped recesses.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 898,105Herbst Sept. 8, 1908 1,649,530 Holsinger Nov. 15, 1927 1,680,318Gallahan Aug. 14, 192,8 2,608,795 Marcell Sept. 2, 1952

